Curiosity Killed the Cat
by relyks1333
Summary: In the world of Remnant, there are four great kingdoms... But what if there was a fifth, hidden, tucked away in secret, guiding the world throughout history. What happens when the fifth kingdoms decides to get involved?
1. CKC 1

Disclaimer: I do not one Naruto, RWBY or Assassins Creed. All rights and properties belong to their respective owners.

Information! This is a Naruto RWBY crossover with Assassin's Creed influence. Things you need to know!

One- there is no elemental Nation, all villages and countries in Naruto are a part of Uzugakure.

Two- Uzugakure is an island Nation that starts hidden from the world.

Three- While I do take ideas and influence from Assassin's Creed, that does not mean that there the same villains and groups. The Templars are pretty much non-existent, and while there may be some with templar like mentality (Ironwood) they are, for the most part, few and far between, not really a threat.

Four- There are no pieces of Eden. While there may be powerful artifacts, none with the power to rewrite humanity or make one ascend to godhood, the most would be to give someone pseudo-immortality, at a cost.

Five- expect OOC characters and changes in the plot!

Six- This is a Naruto x Blake story.

Seven- While Ozpin and his group know there is a 'third player' they don't know who or what, they have only seen the effects of the third player.

Eight- Oh, and the Uzumaki clan is royalty.

Something I was just reminded of (Thank you adislt) I have only watched to volume three, I think, where Pyrrha 'dies'. As such thwre is alot I don't know. So, regarding Ozpin, as far as I know from a bit of rumor on social media, and my own speculation, I had always concidered him a semi mmortal, he can die but will be re borm one way or another. If I'm understanding adislt correctly, then that means Ozpin in just as old as Salem, potentially godlike as well. So, uh, if that's true then... Well fuck. this story wont follow Cannon, Ozpin is only a few thousand years old here, not godlike at all. He is merely abeing essentially cursed with immortality, but is far younger than Salem. Sorry for the confusion! Please forgive me! No I'm kidding, shit on me if you want.

There is some bashing in this story.

People who will be bashed, and why.

Jaraiya - In the anime, Naruto is verbally abused, and though I don't believe it states in, in his position, would have been abused physically. Yet despite this, Jaraiya does nothing to protect him. In fact, he ignores him for the first twelve years of his life. Given his position, Jaraiya could not have not known about what was happening to Naruto, I mean, his job was kind of, to know what was happening everywhere. The only reason I can see that he would have done so, is that he didn't care, only putting any interest in Naruto when he became useful.

That's all I can think of for now, so without further ado, Curiosity killed the cat (CKC)

 _Thoughts/Dreams/Memories_

Pov/Line Break/Story Start/Story End

Story Start

POV Naruto

The city of Atlas, a bustling metropolis, far more advanced than the other three kingdoms.

With that advancement, however, came the thick filth that hung in the air. The humans couldn't smell it, of course, their senses were far to dull. The arrogance, and self-delusional superiority, their bigotry. It stunk, burning my nose.

However, even in the darkest corners of Remnant, there were pockets of light. The same could be said here. The corners of the city where the, higher, society abandoned, and ignored, where men and women worked together to survive, these places, while they looked filthy, there was a sense of trust, care, and loyalty among the peoples.

Still, yet, they despised me, not without cause, however. I was an outsider, and most outsiders only came to cause trouble. And from a certain perspective, I was no different.

I made my way through the underbelly of Atlas, though I stood out, more than a rose in a rock garden, I walked with purpose, determination.

Reaching my destination, a brothel, I turned toward the doors. The guard, a burly, dirty man reached out to grab me, something I easily slipped by, and a quick swat to the neck and he was out, slumping the ground.

I shoved the doors open and was disgusted at what I saw. "So this is where you've been hiding." I spoke.

The white-haired man looked up at me in alarm, before a grin stretched over his face. "Off you go." He said, spanking the whore that sat upon his lap. "I'm impressed, how did you find me?"

"I followed your stench. Come on, she wishes to speak with you."

"Ah, come on already! Can't you forgive your godfather!"

"No." I replied simply. "We're wasting time, and I still have to complete my job."

"Come on kiddo! Give it a rest already!" Ignoring him, I headed out of the establishment. I had delivered the message, now I had to do the job that had brought me here in the first place.

I walked, again with a steady gate, ignoring the glares I was receiving, as I headed towards another run down building.

As I neared, I slowed, discreetly checking everything, my sword, which hung at my left hip, pistol on my right, retractable blades on my right arm, grappling hook on the left, throwing knives on my chest, four on each side, under my cloak, lastly, I glanced at the stock of a collapsible rifle coming over my right shoulder.

 _I'll never understand why hunters limit themselves to only a few tools._ I thought to myself, as I headed into the building. _If it breaks, they're useless, most don't have a backup…_ Pushing my thoughts aside, I walked towards the building, this wasn't something that would be done quietly.

I pulled out my pistol and kicked the door open. Four men sat playing cards, who looked shocked that I was there, fools, they had felt safe, as a small gang they didn't garner a lot of attention. What they did, mostly, was simply hire out men to larger gangs, doing odd jobs. In truth, I would have never bothered them, save for the fact that their boss, if he could be called that, had gotten ahold of an artifact.

Again, this would normally not be a problem, save the fact that they were planning on selling the artifact to the White Fang, who could then use it to harm more people, and spread more fear. My job was a simple one, kill the thugs, and retrieve the artifact before it fell to the Fang.

The four men scrambled to get up, four quick shots halted their progress. The pistol itself was a very powerful weapon, which I kept loaded with aura penetrating bullets. The lead rounds were coated in a jacket of reactive dust, as such, when the bullet came into contact with aura, the dust would burn away, as well as consume the aura, making a small hole, barely larger than the bullet itself, for the projectile to slip through.

The four bodies dropped, and I heard the sound of people running on the floor above, as they ran down the stairs, I shot, three more men fell to the floor. I made my way upstairs, where I found the 'boss' and two thugs cowering. Without hesitation, I fired three more of the deadly rounds, and all three fell.

I walked to the body of the small time crime boss, and quickly dug through his pockets, finding a small box, I pulled it out, and opened it, away from me, in case it was trapped, then looked inside.

I sighed in relief, the ring looked plain enough, however, I could feel its effects, being just this close. The slight drain on my aura, while someone untrained would never notice it, and it seemed harmless enough, the true potential of the ring was frightening.

Closing the box, I slipped it into one of my pockets, before I heard a murmur from downstairs, whether it was law enforcement, hunters, the Fang, or some other party, I didn't care. I shot towards the window, and leaped through, shattering the glass easily.

I landed in a roll as I heard a loud shout, and took off. I weaved through the gathering crowd, easily dodging around the people. I couldn't help the grin that came over my face as I saw my escape. A perfect copy of myself appeared next to me right as I ducked and slipped through a manhole, leading to the city sewers, the copy, could last for, only a few minutes, however, it would serve as a distraction, and keep their attention off me.

POV White Fang Grunt

I stepped into the building, motioning to communicate, four dead at the front, three dead at the stairs. Quickly looking around, my rifle at point, I motioned that it was clear. The lieutenant, followed by three more lower ranking men stepped in.

"What the fuck?" Our newest member muttered, instantly I heard movement above us, heading straight towards a wall.

"Outside!" I snapped, and all five of us sprinted out, I exited right as I heard glass shatter. "Go go!" I snarled. Normally, someone in my position would not be allowed to give orders to my superior, however, we were a unique squad, one of five squads tasked with completing unique objectives, my superior, a small rabbit faunas, was extremely intelligent, and was a skilled negotiator, she would plan the missions beforehand, and she would do the talking, however, when there was a combat or possible combat situation, the power shifted to me. Having years of experience in battles and fights allowed me to direct and command in the heat of the moment.

Once we rounded the building, we could only see our quarry sprinting through a thickening crowd.

"Go! Damn it move!" I snarled, leading our charge, the people, human, and faunas didn't know what to think of us, after all, we weren't wearing White Fang uniforms, instead, our faces were covered with black masks, and our bodies by black cloaks. This was simply to keep our persons unknown, and unrelated to the fang.

I growled as the crowd continued to hinder us. "You're hindering the Atlas military! Move!" I snarled, when they seemed to think about it, I growled, leveling my weapon. "Three seconds!" I called. That got the people to scatter.

My eyes found our target again, taking aim, I loosed a hail of bullets. The figure in a white cloak evaded the shots, and scrambled up a wall, and began running across the roofs. "Come on! We can't let him get away!"

We sprinted after him, scrambling up the walls and buildings, doing our best to keep pace. I had to give it the man, if it was indeed a man, he was skilled, almost impossible to keep up with. We chased him for what seemed to be hours, but I knew it was less than a few minutes, and the man dove into a building, we followed.

The building was dark, and our flashlights came on instantly, we scanned the empty room, yet the man was nowhere to be seen, he was simply gone. "Fuck!" I snarled. "God damn it, Wolf! Learn to keep your fucking mouth shut! If you hadn't spoken up, we could have caught him!"

The wolf faunas flinched away as I yelled at him. Of course, I was pissed, he was assigned to an elite squad, he fucked up, and lost us our prey.

"Next time I'll kill you." I growled lowly, it wasn't an idle threat, no, in fact, it was something to be expected. If he got in our way, he was dead weight. It would be better to cut it loose than needlessly drag it around. It was something we were informed of before we were given the option to join.

Our lieutenant sighed. "Let's head out. Mission failed."

I grunted. "Yeah. Fuck, the boss is gonna be pissed."

POV Ozpin

"So… they grabbed another artifact…" I muttered. "Did we get an identity?"

"No." Ironwood stated. "Cloaked, again. What do they want with the artifacts?"

"Well, if we knew that, we could predict where they would strike next." I stated. "I'm sure we will find them eventually." I lied.

"You seem extremely unconcerned about this." Ironwood said.

"Unconcerned? No. However, I am not willing to let it consume my thoughts and dull my judgment." I stated, there really was no sense is chasing these ghosts, I knew that well. I had seen the signs of them throughout the lives I had lived, even caught glimpses of them. And whilst they never really fought for, or with me, the definitely slowed Salem's plots.

This was something Ironwood didn't need to know, he would not be able to see straight if he knew how old they were, he didn't even know how old I was. The man, while useful, was too stubborn, believing in his own might, his army, he would, unfortunately, never be more than a tool for anyone. "I have things to attend to, I'm sure you understand, headmaster." I said, receiving a nod from the man, I tapped the screen of my scroll, stopping the video call. "Glynda?" I called, seeing the woman look up from her scroll, I asked. "How is she doing?"

"Barely hanging on." Was her simple, truthful reply.

I sighed nodding, knowing that it was only a matter of time before Salem sent her pawns to finish her off.

POV Naruto

I knelt before the red-haired fox woman sitting on her throne. "Did you get it?" She asked.

"Yes." I stated, pulling the small box from my pocket.

"Good." She said, waving her hand. A masked woman with purple hair came from the shadows, carrying another box, this one a dull gray, made of metal. "Put it with the rest."

The woman, wearing a cat mask, carefully went to her knees before me, opening the box she held. I carefully deposited the ring and ring box into the larger one, which she closed. The metal box gave out a slight hiss as several locking bars slid into place.

The purple haired woman then stood and walked gracefully away.

The red-haired queen smiled. "You can take off your mask, nephew. Come, let me see you." I pulled the fox mask from my face, standing, I made my way to her. "It's great to see you." She said, standing as I neared, she held out her arms, which I easily allowed myself into.

"Good to see you too aunt Mito." I chuckled, other than myself, the woman was the last Uzumaki, though, to the dismay of many, she was far too old to bear children, being nearly two hundred years old. She had given the throne to my great-great-grandfather, her youngest brother after her husband had passed. In the time after she had given up the throne, a small rebellion formed, a short but bloody war followed, the rebellion was defeated, but most of the Uzumaki were slain, my grandmother had fled with her daughter, who later gave birth to me, but was killed shortly after I was born. It wasn't until the age of twelve that I had been found by Mito's agents, and rescued from the mines I was working in.

She had made sure I was of Uzumaki blood and began training me, as well as teaching me. Making sure I could succeed the throne after her, something I was resistant in doing, but I knew it needed to be done. Though I still had a few years, considering at two hundred, she only looked to be in her late fifties, she had a hundred or so years left.

"She pulled away and her face hardened. "Naruto, as much as I hate to, I must send you out again. You are one of our strongest, most skilled, something has happened. A new tool must be protected."

"Protected?" I asked. "Not collected?"

She pursed her lips. "It is not an artifact, not exactly. One of the maides has had a portion of her power stolen, she is in a comatose state, and I fear they will soon come to take the rest of her power. She resides in Beacon Academy. I am sending you, and three others. You will be introduced as children from villages, outside the kingdoms, you will do everything you can to be on the same team together. Your job will be to protect the Fall maiden from the shadows. Do not be discovered unless it's absolutely unavoidable, or of course, that reason." She added while I glared.

I shook my head, the woman loved to tease me. "When are we heading out?"

"You have one month to prepare, one month before the entrance exam, then two weeks before the start of the year."

"Alright. And until then, who's protecting her?"

"Right now I have eight men in Vale, but they can't get into beacon without raising suspicion."

"I see. I'll do my best. I'll go start gathering everything I'll need." I stated as I went to leave.

She nodded and smiled. "Do try and find a ma-"

"Ah shut up yah old hag!" I interrupted, before making a mad dash to the door.

Line Break

One month had flown by very quickly, though I had yet not met my partners, I identified them very quickly, as I was sure they did me.

They were Haku Momochi, a very girly boy, who specialized in the use of Ice dust, his semblance allowed him to pass through mirrors, using them as portals, and the student of Zabuza Momochi, a deadly and feared warrior.

Gaara of the sand, a young man hailing from a desert section of Uzugakure, who's semblance was a telekinetic variation.

And lastly, Sasuke Uchiha, an ambitious and eager young man, trained by arguably the most deadly special forces agent we had, his elder brother, Itachi Uchiha. His semblance allowed him to create and control an unquenchable black flame, though it did take a lot out of him. He also had his family trait, the Sharingan, which was a genetic quirk that allowed them to perceive things nearly twenty-five times faster than any other person.

Each was deadly in their own right. Each highly trained.

Soon lines began forming as students went to take the various tests to enter into Beacon. There were three ways to enter into Beacon.

The first, most common, was from a primary combat school, one would simply enroll, and provide documents proving their physical fitness and their intelligence was up to par with Beacons standards.

The second was to apply for the entrance exams, this was to give those from outside the kingdoms a chance. The entrance exams were a three-part test. A written exam, a three-mile obstacle course that had to run in under twenty minutes, and a combat test.

The third was to be brought in by Ozpin, the headmaster, himself.

For me, and my partners, we took the second path, as it was the only one available. The tests could be taken in any order. I chose to do the obstacle course first.

The course itself was a half-mile stretch with an incline of 22.62 degrees, followed by a level half-mile stretch of knee walls and crawl spaces. At the one mile mark was a ten-foot wall to climb, after that a half-mile stretch of woodland to run through, then two thousand feet of level ground, followed by six hundred and forty feet of water to swim across, the last mile was a smooth 9.46 degrees incline.

This was a simple task for me or any member of our brotherhood, however, I would be sure to make it seem as if it were harder than it truly was. It would be far more suspicious if four extremely skilled people, with no background, ended up on a team together, rather than a more average group of students.

I stood at the line, along with nearly fifty-three other students. The instructor raised a pistol and fired, signaling the start of the test. Immediately we took off, many began to sprint, most likely wanting to show off. This soon proved to be a foolish idea as they wore themselves out before they reached the end of the first half mile stretch, and soon fell behind.

I allowed myself to fall behind, staying closer to the front but letting at least a quarter of the people ahead of me.

Soon I reached the second portion, I leaped and vaulted over the knee walls, and slid or crawled through the tunnels. Upon reaching the ten-foot wall, I let myself lean against it, cupping my hands, I helped did people over the wall. In the end, we were going towards the same goal in the test, we were comrades in that regard, so I would treat them as such.

After helping the last over the wall, I went to scramble up and was pleasantly surprised to find someone had stayed, holding a hand for me to grab taking the offered appendage, that someone pulled me over, and soon we both landed on the other side.

Once we were landed, we took off towards the tree line, aiming to catch the others. As we ran through the trees, I took a moment to look over my temporary companion.

She was an attractive young woman, with flowing black hair, amazing golden eyes, a bow atop her head, which was easy to tell hid her ears. She had a thin, lithe form, yet was toned from years of training, that coupled with the amazing curves she held, I was barely able to maintain my composure. She was in a simple word, beautiful.

POV Blake

I had stayed closer to the middle of the group, It would do little good to get caught now before I could repent for my years with the Fang.

As I ran, my eyes continued to stray to the fox faunas before me, he wore an orange duster, with his red tipped, blond ears and tail proudly on display. I could see little of his features from the back, covered in the protective coat.

He seemed to be in shape, keeping pace ahead of me, slowly pulling away.

Despite his more or less normality, something was off. Nothing that I could see, mind you, but a feeling in my gut told me, a feeling I had learned to trust. Not that I felt he was an evil person, or even criminal like myself, just as if he was, hiding something.

He had piqued my interest. My curiosity was further pulled when he reached the one-mile mark. He propped himself against the wall, a pretty stable position, and began helping those after him over the wall. My eyes widened in realization, as I neared.

This was not the first time he had worked in a group, though it wasn't ever stated we were working in a group, it was also never stated that we were not.

I reached him and he helped me over the wall. I almost continued, leaving him behind, as had the others. However, my curiosity kept me, and I helped the few still going after me. He turned to climb the wall, and I could see the brief look of surprise on his face as I held out my hand to him.

His eyes, were a bright, beautiful blue, holding a hope and compassion that I had rarely ever seen. He grasped my wrist in an unsurprisingly tight grip. It was not painful, nor was it uncomfortable. It was tight enough to keep him latched to me, yet soft enough I was in no danger of injury.

I pulled as he pushed off the ground, and he was easily vaulted over the wall. We landed on the other side and started off towards the trees not that it took long to reach them, as they were barely twenty feet away.

As we ran, I could feel his eyes roam over me every now and again. Not that it truly bothered me, as I did not feel he was checking me out. Instead, I felt that he was most likely trying to determine just how strong I was, he was sizing me up as a potential comrade, ally.

We soon exited the tree line, having overtaken many others during the run, and a more relaxing strait run followed, long enough for me to get a closer look at the young man. I was very surprised to find he had marks on his cheeks, making almost cat-like whiskers. That amused me quite a bit, but what had me most surprised was the amount of muscle I could see through his clothes, now that it wasn't blocked by his duster.

My run, unfortunately, was soon ruined by the appearance of a large pool and while I hated to admit it, I wanted him to ferry me across. As a cat, I hated water. However, my fortitude held strong, and I made it to the other side shortly after him, mentally groaning about my wet clothes, however, I did not allow that to distract me from the end goal.

The last stretch was much simpler, a long run with a soft steady incline, not enough to really see it, but enough to feel it. That being said, my years with the Fang had prepared me for far more than this. So I simply ran beside the blond male and allowed myself to observe the fine male specimen, now soak with water, I could much more easily see the definition of his body, and I knew the same was true about me. But he seemed far more focused on keeping his breathing even.

I had to admit to myself, he was doing great for a village boy. Though I was already doubting that he was just any village boy. Everyone before us, and even some behind us were obviously children of hunters, to be able to keep pace with them, was no small feet.

We passed the end line and slowed to a stop, where the blond took a short break, regaining his breath, even I was slightly winded from the excursion.

He looked up, meeting my eyes and smiled. Again I was caught off guard by the purity of his eyes. And while I was confident he had his secrets, I almost felt compelled to trust him.

"You did well." I complimented, usually wouldn't freely talk to someone, but I was curious, and my curiosity compelled me.

"Thanks." He replied. "So did you, better than I did for sure." He held out his hand. "Naruto Uzumaki, pleased to make your acquaintance."

"Blake." I stated, shaking his hand, I didn't give my last name, no, if he knew my father, that would give me away. And as a faunas, he was far more likely to know the Belladonna name.

He didn't question my decision to omit my last name, merely accepted it.

POV Sasuke

I could only sigh in frustration as the third year who was my opponent moved. Even without my sharing an, she was slow.

She was of a large build, heaving a massive Mace around her body. She was not truly slow, I knew, however, I was used to training with Itachi, who was faster than almost everyone else I had ever faced. The only two who I had faced that was actually faster than my elder brother, was the empress, and her nephew, Naruto, whom I was excited to be working with.

She swung again, and I dodged yet again. I could see the frustration growing in her eyes. But she kept her composure, not allowing her rage to blind her. Something I had to salute her for, it was never easy for me to keep my anger in check.

Stepping around her next strike, I drew my blade, a chokuto, and struck. Enveloping my sword in aura to protect the edge, I hit her armored chest with extreme force. The strike itself was simple, but quick and powerful, lifting her from the floor, she was thrown back against the energy shield surrounding the small arena.

A loud buzzer sounded, signaling the end of the match, and the shields came down. My opponent pushed herself up, a confused look on her face, and stumbled away.

It was understandable. They didn't know who we were, so obviously they wouldn't be able to prepare for it, nor would they expect us to be at our strength level.

I headed down the exit, where the other hopefuls were waiting, and sat down, closing my eyes, shutting them out of the world, and focussing on remembering my training.

POV Haku

I carefully filled yet another bubble, growing ever closer to finishing the test. Still, it was unnerving to be sitting next to the Sand Tunaki. While Gaara had never attacked anyone in Uzugakure without being provoked, stories of his marks did make it to almost everyone. The man was brutal and efficient, and I could not help but both fear, and respect the assassin.

I cleared the thoughts from my mind and focused on my test, thankful my mentors drilling this information into me, even before coming here. If I was going to be hunting in these lands, it would do well for me to know about them. That's what they had told me, and while I had initially disagreed, the knowledge had come in handy many times before and I was sure it would continue to do so.

I worked slowly and carefully, making sure every answer was correct, or at least as correct as I could get them. While I was confident that knew enough to pass, I was still raised in a very different place, so I was sure that I would be mistaken on a few things.

POV Gaara

I stared at my test, having completed it quicker than most everyone else in the class, I frowned as a familiar feeling came over me, one that I had been fighting for years, and yet it continued to affect me.

I was craving cookies again.

POV Blake

I took a seat next to the fox faunas, he glanced up at me, a mischievous grin on his face. "People will start to think there's something between us if you keep this up." even though his mirth filled voice told me he was joking, I still felt my cheeks heat up. It wasn't hard to imagine myself with the young fox faunas. He was definitely easy on the eyes, and from the little time I had spent with him, I could tell he would be rather fun to be around. That said, I wasn't here to look for mate material, so I pushed the thoughts into the back of my mind.

"Oh shut up." I said lightly. "You're the only one who has their head on straight."

"Ah shucks, I feel so loved." He chuckled.

I rolled my eyes but smiled nonetheless. My eyes found their way to the arena, where we watched a hopeful use his semblance, most likely a form of telekinesis, to bind his opponent with sand, the buzzer sounded and the red-haired boy left the arena, only to be replaced as another hopefuls name was called.

As the fights continued, my eyes slowly left the contestants and found my blond friend. I scolded myself for allowing myself to be entranced by him, but it wasn't like I could help it, he was built quite well, in shape, and enjoyable company. Of course, I wouldn't tell him this.

Leaning back, I closed my eyes, doing my best to sort out my mind. Before I could delve too deep into my own mind, however, I was interrupted by a strong hand on my shoulder.

Opening my eyes, I looked to Naruto, who had a sheepish expression in his face. "They called your name, Blake." He stated, removing his hand.

I stood, thanking him, and apologizing for losing myself in my thoughts.

"It's nothing." He replied easily.

As I headed toward the arena, I couldn't help the fluttering of my heart. The fox boy was extremely easy going, relaxed. It was almost impossible not to imagine leaning against him as I read, or walking through a park with him.

 _Damn it, Blake._ I growled in my head. _You can't be falling in love with a guy you just met! Remember, you have to be careful!_ Still, despite my own warnings, I couldn't deny the increasingly strong feelings for the blond. My curiosity of him wasn't helping either, the more I found out about him, the more I liked about him.

Stepping into the arena, I made sure to check my weapon, a habit drilled into me with the Fang, it would do no good to be missing my weapon.

My opponent was a small mouse faunas, I felt my ears twitch at the irony, if I hadn't known the contestants were picked by a randomizer, I would have thought someone knew of my faunas blood. Nevertheless, I lowered my stance. Small or not, this little girl had made it three years in Beacon, the hardest hunter school in the four kingdoms. She would not be underestimated.

As soon as the buzzer sounded for the battle to begin, she moved, dashing towards me with speeds rarely seen. I was barely able to get my guard up in time, the force of her attack pushed me back several feet. My bones ached from a single kick, delivered by the girl.

I growled lowly as I analyzed her, trying to find her next move. She revealed it soon enough, shooting forward again at speeds near unseen. Again I could barely get my guard up.

The third time, my eyes caught something, a slight shimmer in her aura before she shot off. She was being propelled by her aura, it was her semblance that was allowing her to launch herself at me like a bullet.

As she gathered herself again, she said. "You ought to have figured it out by now, haven't you? So I'll need to change things up a little. Still, I must praise you on blocking three consecutive attacks, very impressive."

I prepared myself, a fight plan forming in my head. Of course, whether it worked or not depended entirely on her.

She shot off again, right by me, before blasting back towards me. Though I was unable to turn, I could create a clone, which ejected me from my spot, allowing me to spin and lash out, landing my first blow of the fight.

She rolled her shoulder, where my blade had caught. "Interesting." She said, before launching herself at me again.

Again, I used my clones to escape and lash out, though this time, with less success. I was, however, expecting that, as my strike missed, I let my sword slip from my fingers, attached by a long stretchy ribbon.

The mouse girl was surprised at this, unable to react in time to dodge the quick strikes of my gun propelled blade, and I was able to score a few more, minor strikes on the girl.

The girl was soon ready again, my eyes narrowed, I knew strikes were light, but not that light. She didn't even appear phased by my attack. And then I saw it, I understood. The gap between us was large, larger than I had imagined. She had been holding back from the start.

 _Heh, who's the mouse now?_ I thought a little bitterly.

Just before she could launch herself again, the buzzer went off, signaling the end of the fight. I hoped I had shown enough skill to pass.

I made my way back up to Naruto and frowned when I saw another woman sitting beside the blond. I stormed toward them, I didn't know what I intended to do, I didn't want to admit why I was furious, I couldn't admit that out loud, not yet. But none of that was my concern right now. What was, was that there was some, admittedly beautiful, young woman sitting with the man I intended to claim.

I had to run her off. I did my best to calm myself as I approached if I acted to violent, I could scare him off as well, anything I did, would have to be subtle, or at least, not show a lot of aggression.

"Oh hey, Blake, good fight." Naruto said. "This is Haku, he's from a village outside the kingdoms, he came in while you were in your fight. Just finished a written exam.

 _I don't care who- wait HE? That's a guy?!_ I looked closely at the girl-boy, it was strange to see a girl so utterly flat. Suddenly I felt my fury fade when I realized he really was a male.

I took my seat beside Naruto. "Nice to meet you, my name is Blake."

Haku smiled. "I know, Naruto told me."

"You seem to be familiar with Naruto, have you guys met before?"

"Not that I can recall." Naruto said. "Though I suppose it's possible. I was in the Atlas area as a child. So we may have met in passing."

"You grew up around Atlas?" I asked.

"Yeah." Naruto replied. "My parents were killed before I could remember them. I was raised in the mines until I was twelve when my aunt found me and rescued me."

"I-I sorry…" Blake muttered.

"Ah, it's fine." He replied. "It's all in the past."

"B-but- I know what it's like in the mines! They treat us like slaves!"

"Yeah." Naruto agreed. "But I'll never grow if I continue to live in the past. I know it's terrible for some faunas, but most aren't that bad off. I'll do what I can to help those who are in a bad situation, but I'm not going to cling to the past. Learn from it, but don't live in it. That will only breed more hatred, and pain. We have to step out of the problem if we want to see how best to fix it."

I felt as if a giant had struck me, I stared at him, shocked. _Have I been living in the past…? I've shunned humans for so long… Am I adding to the problem…? Am I part of it?_ I was so lost in my thoughts that I didn't hear the announcer call Naruto's name.

The blond stood up, pulling me from my thoughts. "Well, that's me." He said.

"Wait!" I gasped, clutching his arm. "How am I supposed to fight the bigotry against us?"

He smiled. "Prove that it's wrong, kitten."

As he walked away, my face was flushed a dark red, that wasn't the first time someone had called me kitten, but it was the first time I was actually interested in the one who did.

By the time he reached the arena, I had gained control of myself again and realized a big mistake on my part. _I said us!_ My mind was flying in loops as I realized I had admitted to being a faunas, of course, he was a faunas as well. _But Haku!_

I felt a hand grip my shoulder, and I turned to its owner.

Haku smiled. "Don't worry, I won't tell anyone, besides, I am a faunas as well."

"Y-you are?" I asked, surprised.

He nodded. "Yes. However, my family doesn't have any faunas traits, visible at least. Our vision is better at night, and we have a great sense of smell."

I let out a sigh in relief. "Thank you."

"Oh, he's starting."

My eyes snapped to the arena, where Naruto stood before an average sized man, I watched confused, as Naruto waited for the man to advance, despite not drawing his sword, pistol, or rifle.

The third-year neared, and struck with a Katana, performing a Lado type strike, Naruto, however, narrowly avoided it. His opponent struck again, and again, Naruto avoided it. I watched, fascinated as the blond danced around the man. Before, I had thought him simply a very interesting average boy. But this, what he was displaying was not average. No, this was far above average. He was very quick on his feet.

Then again, he did come from outside the kingdoms, if he was in a more dangerous, Grimm infested area, it would be obvious why he was so quick.

However, as it was, I knew little to nothing about his past, which was called for, I had only met him earlier this day.

My attention was pulled back to Naruto as his opponent went for an overhead strike, Naruto dodged the strike, stepping in closer to the man, he gripped his arm and pulled throwing his foe off balance. From there, it was a simple task of lightly kicking his feet to send him to the ground.

I was honestly shocked, I had seen martial arts before, even practiced them to help with my own, already great balance, but to see them in action here, I was very surprised.

The third-year rose again, this time approaching with much more caution. I watched as he carefully circled around Naruto, who was equally as careful to keep the young man before him.

The third-year stepped forward with a horizontal strike. To my surprise, Naruto ducked under the blade and gripped his opponent's arm as he came up. Then threw himself back, pulling his foe over him, with a boot on the third year's waist, Naruto launched the student over himself, keeping a firm hold on the third year.

Ending up on top of his adversary, Naruto swiftly kicked the man's wrist, knocking the blade from his grasp.

Almost instantly after, the third year had his arm pinned, threatening to break, as he struggled to get free.

"Gah!" The third-year cried out. "You win damn it!"

Naruto released him and rolled back, the student stood, looking Naruto over. "Jeez, with that many weapons I never would have thought you used hand to hand combat."

Naruto laughed, holding out a hand which the young man shook. "Well, it's always good to have a backup, or two."

The young man nodded in agreeance before they parted, and headed out of the arena.

Naruto made his way back to me, flashing a brilliant grin as he sat down. I felt my blush return in full force, I averted my eyes, staring at my lap, silently scolding myself for my lack of self-control.

It infuriated me, never before had I such a problem, I always have had great control over myself, but something about this fox faunas that I had met only hours ago, stripped it all away.

Hearing a bell ring, Naruto stood. "Well, Haku, it was nice meeting you, it's time to take our exams."

I nodded as I stood. "I hope to see you in Beacon."

He nodded. "You as well."

POV Glynda

I stood with my arms crossed. "There's something off about that boy." I insisted as Ozpin scrolled through the students who had passed.

"Yes. I agree." Ozpin stated. "However, it would be good to have Mr. Uzumaki here, where we can keep an eye on him."

I sighed, knowing it was useless, but I still pressed my concern. "He hiding too much for me to be comfortable with."

Ozpin sat in silence for several long moments before he spoke again. "Glynda, do you know the story of the Uchiha?"

"...No?" I said slowly.

"I myself had thought they had been killed off thousands of years ago. However, there is a young, Sasuke Uchiha who enrolled. The story is, that they were the descendants of Salem, however, instead of following her as she wished, they turned against her, and fought for humanity and for faunas, because of this, she created the Grimm, a more easily controlled creature. The Uchiha were powerful, skilled in almost everything they did, holding semblances that were, godlike, in comparison to ours."

He pursed his lips before continuing. "The Uchiha, however, was not the only descendants. There were two other families, both who turned against Salem. The Senju, and the Uzumaki. The Senju were gifted with an aura that was tied with that of Nature, they were masters of manipulating the land and natural life to their will, and Lastly the Uzumaki, they were not gifted with great semblances, nor unique auras, instead, they were gifted with a powerful physical body, they were the strongest when it came to terms of fighting without aura or Semblance. It was said that an Uzumaki, without aura, could lift more than a man with aura. And with aura, they were even stronger. Of course, they were thought to be extinct long before my first life. But despite that, there is one thing that is persistent in all the tales of the three families. They all fought tirelessly for humanity and faunas."

I gave a soft sigh accepting that the boy would be allowed into the school, but I couldn't help but ask. "Why now? Why come now?"

"Well, that's what we'll find out, now isn't it?"

Story End

It's been a while since I updated, this is what I've been working on, just an old idea really. Though it has been fun writing it.

Thank you for Reading!

Please leave a review! I'd love to see your thoughts. Bad, good, meh?

Remember Y'all! Live won't give you shit! You gotta reach out there and grab it by the balls!

Okay, sorry for that, but hey, it made me laugh.

Also! I just rembered to put this in! If you are a beta reader, or you know a beta reader who would be interested in doing the whole beta reading thing for this story, please email me at -


	2. Chapter Two

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or RWBY. All rights and properties belong to their respective owners.

If any titles in this are real, they're not meant to be. I pulled them from my ass.

'Thought/Memories'

Line Break/Chapter Start/Chapter End

 **Curiosity Killed the Cat**

Chapter two

The ship rocked gently, and groaned softly, almost as if it was trying to lull its passengers into sleep. If it was, it would be out of luck, since all the passengers were too excited to sleep.

One of these passengers sat on a bench against the wall. Two bags resting at his feet. One was large, having two straps that bound the smaller of the two against it. On the opposite side, it has four more straps to slip over its owner's body and latch into place.

The owner of the bags leaned back, his blue eyes falling on a pair of girls whom he had been watching in particular. Well, one of the pair. She was short and obviously younger than everyone else. Her hair was black with red highlights and cropped short. Though what had caught his attention was her silver eyes.

Naruto sighed. 'Things just got more complicated…' He muttered within his mind. 'I'll have to inform Aunt Mito somehow. Haku most likely.'

His mind was pulled from his thoughts as a presence appeared, one he had come to know, and desire. "Hello, Blake." Naruto said as the dark haired cat faunas sat beside him. His blue eyes slid over to meet her shining yellow ones.

She nodded her greeting, saying nothing for the moment. The girl had always been silent and withdrawn. She found herself nervous and wishing she could hide, yet also wishing to speak with the blond boy. How she hated what he was doing to her, yet loved it all the same.

Naruto was in a similar position, while more outgoing than his silent companion, he was just as nervous. Never before had he longed to talk with, to get to know someone as he did now. Desperate to find something to kill the silence with, he glanced at her bags, seeing them left partly open, and a book barely sticking out of one. He couldn't help but sigh in relief.

Motioning to her bag, he asked. "What genres do you like to read?"

The result was instant, her face flushed and she pushed the book farther into the bag. "Romance." She spoke softly, not meeting his eyes.

It was clear to Naruto that she enjoyed reading something more than romance, most likely something more in the realms of Erotica. He could appreciate that, if written well, he too could find himself easily lost in it. Not that he would ever admit it.

Giving a nod, Naruto replied. "I'll confess, I enjoy a good romance novel now and then. Although I've always preferred something with more mystery to it."

Blake raised an eyebrow, the look on her face clearly said she wasn't going to believe just his words. After all, very few people took the time to read if it wasn't required. "What are some of your favorites?"

Naruto tilted his head in consideration. "Well, for romance I'd have to say Fall of Warren Write, Synonym of Love, The Neverending Dance, and one that I found recently, Crescendo for Beloved." Blake's eyes lit up at the small list of books, while one could easily name common romance novels, none of the three could be considered common, especially Crescendo for Beloved, it was an ancient book, yet less than a thousand copies existed. "As for Mystery, my favorites are The Howling Night, Chargers' Boy, The Fallen Temple, Forever Away, Midnight, Dusk, and A Lone Storm. Forever Away might be considered a romance as well, even a good romance, but its' main genre is mystery."

Blake nodded seamlessly, silently going over everything she had just heard before one thing caught her mind. "You said you found a book called Crescendo for Beloved? Where did you find it?"

"At a quaint little store called Tucson's Book Trade. He said it was the only one he'd ever found. I was able to buy it for a decent price, given how rare it is. You can read it if you want?" Naruto offered. "I finished it just a few days ago."

Her eyes shone with excitement. "You'd let me?" She asked, doing her best to keep from crying out in joy.

"Yeah. A book that is not read, is a book not fulfilling its purpose." He replied.

Her demeanor calmed after a few moments, yet her eyes still showed just how excited she truly was. "I've been up to Tucson's a few times before. He's a good man, pretty honest, save for that cheap catchphrase of his."

"Every book under the sun." Naruto chuckled. "I would love to be able to find a place like that."

"Yes… that would be amazing…" Blake said softly.

Naruto glance at the girl, and on impulse asked. "We should go to vale and look around the different book stores, see what they have in stock."

She looked up at him, a perplexed expression on her face. He felt a sinking feeling in his chest, already seeing her rejection of the idea. "That sounds like fun." She said, looking away. "When are you thinking?"

"Next weekend, After we're accepted?" Naruto asked.

"That sounds good. Saturday at noon?"

"Absolutely. Do you want to meet at Tucson's Book Trade?" Naruto asked. "If we're not in the same place at least."

"Definitely." She replied, a bright smile covering her face.

Naruto couldn't help his own smile as his excitement grew, though his attention was drawn from the beautiful cat girl as the ship landed with a small lurch and the large bay door slowly slid open.

Naruto stood, offering Blake a hand, she rolled her eyes, but took it anyway, letting him pull her up. The pair gathered their bags and walked down the ramp into the school grounds.

Naruto walked slowly, content to take his time with the luscious lady at his side. The two walked in silence for several long moments, before it was interrupted by an explosion. Having reacted the moment the blast started, Naruto spun, pulling Blake to him.

Blake's eyes widened slightly, realizing that he had put himself between her, and a potential threat. "Naruto?" She asked softly, looking up at him, to see a nervous grin.

"Er… sorry. I didn't mean to startle you." He said, his tail twitching in his discomfort.

"It's fine. I'm more surprised at your reaction time." She said. 'Even in the White Fang people didn't react that fast. Just who are you, really?' She silently asked.

Naruto quickly checked her over as he stepped away, glad she wasn't hurt. "I'm sure I'm not the only one who would react like that. Anyhow, we should check on those two." Naruto pointed with his thumb.

They turned to the disagreeing duo just in time to hear one yell. "Hey, I said I was sorry princess!"

Naruto and Blake recognized the girl who had been called princess, both of them scowled, albeit for different reasons. Blake for her hatred of the Schnee family, given its contribution to faunas discrimination, and Naruto because he had studied the girl, as she was a potential target. While at first, she would seem to be better than her father, she was quick to anger and hid behind her family name anytime anything happened that she didn't like, not to mention that she had no trouble putting the blame of her failures on others.

While Naruto knew she could grow out of it, at the moment, she showed no signs of doing so. It was her idleness in her arrogance that he hated. Too many times did arrogance cause pain and death.

"Heiress actually." Blake spoke. "Weiss Schnee, heiress of the Schnee dust company. One of the largest producers of energy propellant in the world." The rich girl had started to say something before Blake continued. "The same company made infamous through its controversial labor practices and questionable business partners."

"Why you- ugh little- the nerve!" The white-haired girl cried before storming off.

Before Naruto could say anything, Blake grabbed his hand and dragged him away. The blond soon found himself in a small enclosure. Blake paced back and forth, huffing darkly. "Damn arrogant bitch…" She growled, muttering other curses along with it. She looked up at Naruto and sighed. "I'm really sorry about this. I didn't expect to see her here. I… well, her family has given me plenty of reason to hate them."

Naruto smiled softly, before reaching out and running a hand through her hair, she froze at this and was then pulled into a hug by the blond. "I understand. I know I don't hate them all, but I understand how you could. I know things like this take time to deal with. I will not press you with it, but I will always be willing to listen and help however I can."

Blake slowly lifted her hands and gripped the back of his duster while burying her face into his chest. "Thank you, Naruto. You have no idea how much that means to me."

Naruto smiled, yet said nothing as he held her in a firm, yet gentle grip. The two stood for several long moments before Naruto loosed the girl, feeling her begin to shift against him. He heard her mutter softly, almost too soft for him to understand. "I never thought I'd like the smell of a canine…"

Naruto laughed softly as her face turned red, realizing she'd spoken out loud. "Come on, we'd better get going before we're late." Naruto said, gently leading the blushing broad. He walked forward with a steady, purposed gate, following the sounds and smell of people.

Soon enough, the two found themselves in a large room filled with people. Naruto quickly spotted the three he was sent with, as well as several people of interest. People who held great influence, be it from the family they were born into, or what they had managed to do in their lives.

"It's very crowded…" Blake muttered.

Naruto chuckled before motioning to the wall, where many pillars stood. The recesses were small and dark, but few people stood near them. "Those look more comfortable than this crowded mass." The blond stated.

Blake gave a nod, eager to get away from the throng of men and faunas. She walked with Naruto and found herself surprised at how easily he slipped through, making his way in between people as if it were second nature, in a manner that most ignored him. She did her best to follow him, and copy his movements, but she wasn't used to such dense congregations.

As the dark-haired lass began to fear she'd lose the blond, he took her hand in his and guided her through.

Upon exiting the assemblage, Blake breathed a sigh of relief. 'I really hate crowds…' She silently growled in her mind. She was thankful the blond had been able to spot such a position, the closest anyone stood to her, save for the blond himself, was ten feet. She watched as Naruto leaned against the stone walls, an image flooded her mind, of her leaning against the blond in a dim room reading silently with fox boy. She shook her head, cursing her young mind as the image twisted into something far less innocent.

Naruto found himself in a similar position as Blake stood before him, her hand still clasped in his as she slowly bit her lower lip. Her alluring figure coupled with the enticing scent that wafted from her form nearly drove him mad with lust. He bit back a growl that threatened to break free and buried the feelings that were rising in his chest.

A small smile passed over Blake's face as she turned to lean against the wall, allowing herself to sway over against the blond. Hearing a soft groan from the man, her smile morphed into a smirk, knowing he must be feeling a similar attraction for her, given what she had seen of him at least. Her smirk was however halted when his hand loosed hers and he instead brought his arm up around her shoulders, pulling her against him.

Blake's face flushed as a large smile made its way onto her face as she stared at the ground. Her embarrassment and excitement in the situation were, however, short-lived as a tall man in a black and green suit with tousled silver have made his way onto the stage before the crowd. He walked to the microphone that stood at the center of the tribune and began his speech.

"Huntsmen, Huntresses. This is what you all aim to become. You have spent your lives training and preparing for the moment when you can take this title. Now you come here seeking knowledge to reach your destination. Talent, determination, and drive have brought you here, but I look among you… and I see wasted energy, futile potential. Knowledge can only take you so far. A guide can only give so much instruction, it is up to you, to take the first step. I bid you a good evening." The man turned and walked away from the crowd after finishing his morbid speech.

Naruto chuckled as a blond woman took the gray-haired man's place on the stadium and began to give instruction in where they sleep.

"What's funny?" Blake asked softly, while silently puzzling over the headmaster's speech.

"The speech." He replied softly. "He didn't do anything to lift our spirits, only put them down. The true entrance test has just begun. Those who are easily hurt, or offended, and those of weak will, will drop out. I imagine by the morning a quarter of our number will be gone."

Blake looked at him inquisitively. "Why would he do that?"

"He wants only the best of the best. While some may train their bodies to perfection, any true battle is won in the mind. If I don't have the drive to finish what I started, I'm not going to be of any benefit to my superiors, am I? Ozpin is weeding out those that won't be able to stand the test of time."

"I see…" Blake muttered softly, then turned to him and said. "I guess we should find this ballroom we're sleeping in."

Naruto nodded. "Yes. We should."

The short journey to the large room was spent with the two teasing the other between idle chatting.

Stepping into the large room, Blake asked. "You mentioned that you worked in the mines at a young age… what lead to that?"

"Well." Naruto said, clearing his throat. "My father was murdered before I was born, and my mother before I was very old. I was picked up and forced to work under threat of beatings or death. I hated it, but I had food, most of the time, and a roof, or cave ceiling, over my head at least. When I was ten, my aunt found me, and after killing the guards, she freed us and brought me to live with her where she began training me. Since she lived in a place that held both faunas and humans, she was and to teach me that not all humans are terrible, but that every person has the potential to be wonderful, or horrible, that it was an individual choice. We can't help being born faunas and they can't help being born human. If I were to hate them, not only would I be adding to the problem, I'd be no better than those who caused my hate in the beginning."

Blake nodded slowly before saying. "Your aunt sounds like a wonderful person. I would love to meet her one day." Her face flushed after she finished speaking, realizing the implications of such a thing.

"Maybe someday." Naruto muttered. "If you ever do, just be prepared, she'll tease you until you can't stand. She does it to everyone."

"Oh? And how does she tease you?" Blake asked.

Naruto blushed and looked away. "Mostly demanding me to give her grandchildren to spoil." He muttered.

Blake froze, her face flushing a deep shade of red. "And… do you plan on doing so in the future?"

Naruto laughed nervously. "I won't say I don't want children, but there are things I need to take care of before I look to start growing a family. Then, of course, it would also depend on what my partner wanted as well. Beyond that… I'm a little afraid of having kids."

"Why?" Blake asked.

"Well, while my aunt has done her best to raise me, I've never really had a father figure. I'm afraid that I wouldn't be a good father." Naruto stated.

"I see." She said with a soft smile. "For what it's worth, I think you'll make a good father."

Naruto rubbed the back of his head. "Thanks, I suppose." He pulled off his pack and rested it against the wall before sitting down. Blake soon followed, sitting beside him. She glanced at teg blond curiously as he began digging through his pack. Before she could ask what he was doing, he pulled out a book with a black cover, handing it over to her. "You wanted to read this?" He asked.

The black haired girl looked down at the book in question, finding its title written in elegant gold letters. "Crescendo for Beloved" She breathed. She gingerly grabbed the book. One of only a thousand. It was not something she would treat carelessly. "Thank you." Blake said sincerely.

"Anytime." He replied. "Anytime I have a book you want, don't hesitate to ask."

She nodded, glancing between him and the book. Naruto laughed and then said. "Go on, read it, it's a good book." Her face lit up with a smile as she opened the cover and delved into the book, meanwhile, Naruto was keeping an eye on the entrance to you the shower rooms, waiting for Haku to enter.

It wasn't long before the effeminate man walked into the room. Naruto stood, informing Blake he was going to shower and change. He grabbed a change of clothes and a towel, before heading into the showers.

Naruto entered finding Haku standing before a mirror, brushing his teeth. Naruto walked up beside him and began washing his hands, and whispered just loud enough for his fellow assassin to hear him. "A moon child walks among us. The den mother will wish to know. When the moon aligns." It wasn't a very in-depth code, but Haku would understand. He knew that moon child was a silver-eyed warrior, den mother was their queen, and when the moon aligns, was to say, as soon as is convenient. Soon after he finished speaking, Naruto headed into the showers.

When Naruto returned to the ballroom, dressed in a pair of gray sweatpants, leaving his chest bare. He quickly spotted Blake and felt a small amount of fury well within him.

Before blake stood two girls, the silver-eyed girl, and her sister. He wasn't angry at them necessarily, but he knew the frustration of being interrupted when trying to read a good book. And the book she was reading was beyond good. As he neared he saw a third girl approach. Weiss Schnee. He sighed as resolved himself to end the argument that was sure to start.

Yang felt her anger begin to boil as the spoiled girl continued to insult her cute, adorable, innocent little sister. Before she could bury her first into the pretentious bitch's face, her attention was pulled away by a blond faunas walking towards them. She couldn't restrain the grin that crossed her face at the attractive prospect heading towards them.

Ruby noticed her sister looking off, away from her and Weiss, being as curious as she was, she turned to look at whatever had grabbed her attention. She froze as she saw a blond fox faunas heading her way. She felt her cheeks heat as her eyes traveled over his sculpted chest, and onto his waist and legs. She felt herself become lightheaded as her heart began to race.

Weiss growled as the two girls turned their attention from her. She turned to see what was important that it demanded their attention when she was standing before them. What she found was not what she was expecting. Firstly, it was a faunas, and that immediately lowered her opinion. However, even she had to admit, he was more fit than most of the other guys in the building. Most of the guys were judging with muscle, but it was clear that all they were was strong. He, on the other hand, wasn't bulging with muscles, instead, his body was covered with tight, corded muscles that flexed and relaxed as he moved. While she wasn't fond of his kind, she could admit that she respected strength and skill, and the faunas's body showed not only was he in shape, but he was experienced in his chosen craft as well.

Blake noticed the three girls staring off into space, looking to whatever they were staring at. She found their target and felt her own indignation grow. They were staring at Naruto. She growled lightly, wishing even more that they would just leave.

Naruto stopped before Blake and looked to the three girls. Before he could say anything, the busty blind spoke. "Mmm. Mama likes."

Naruto responded almost on instinct, not realizing just what he was saying until he had already spoken. "Not for you."

Blake felt a grin cover her face as the blond, who'd introduced herself as Yang, looked taken aback. The blonds lilac eyes turned to Blake's golden ones. "I'm sorry. I didn't realize he was already taken."

Blake's grin grew as she spoke. "That's fine, just remember next time."

Naruto raised an eyebrow as he felt the air thicken with the tension. "Now, let's not get violent." He spoke, thankful for the voice lessons he had gotten before. "It would do no good to have injuries before the school year even starts, now wouldn't it?" The girls seemed to relax a small amount after he spoke. "Now why don't we all get to sleep? I hear they have an arena, if there are still problems after you all get into Beacon, you can beat them out there. You'll all need your rest to get to that point, however."

Weiss huffed. "As much as I hate to agree with an animal, he is right. Just hope you are good enough to keep up with me."

Naruto felt his eye twitch. "Anyhow, off to bed with you."

The three girls left and Naruto sighed, as Blake asked. "How can you just take that?"

Smiling softly, the blond motioned to the scars over his torso. "She's done nothing that hasn't been done before. Irritating as it is, I pity her more, knowing that if she doesn't grow up, that attitude will lead to her downfall."

Blake frowned. "I just don't understand, even though she didn't say it to me, I almost ripped her head off for it."

"I suppose it's from seeing humans in similar situations. I've come across faunas who oppress humans and hate them as much as humans hate faunas. But I can understand, while I want to see good and hope in people, some are beyond help, because they do not want to be helped. Weiss… however, I don't think she's there yet. Getting closer sure, I just hope someone can save her from herself before she slides too far."

Blake sighed, before saying. "You've got too good of a heart for this world."

Laughing, Naruto sat down and said. "Well, maybe I can do some good? Make the world a better place, even if it's one person at a time." He folded his arms behind his head and leaned back against the wall, closing his eyes.

Blake hummed before going back to her book.

Line Break

Naruto stood silently and still as he waited. He had quickly located the three other assassins, they were luckily in the same group. With the number of hopefuls, there were, those still wishing to enter were split into eight groups of thirty-two, each group would take the test separately. He was just relieved that his partners were in his group, now all he had to do was ensure they would be on the same team.

After Ozpin finished his warning speech, the children were launched.

Naruto's form cut through the air as he kept his arms to his sides, and his body straight, only spreading his limbs when he began his descent. While Naruto flew through the air, he kept track of his three partners, as well as the temple, even while he idly noted the large swath of forest that was burned away and still smoldering. As he neared the trees he angled his body to slip through the canopy of the trees, and strengthening his body with aura he gripped a large limb, his momentum spinning him around it several times before he released it and flipped onto the large branch.

The blond closed his eyes for a moment, extending his senses, he felt the aura signatures through the forest.

He quickly found the unique signatures of the three assassins. He instantly shot off, heading towards the temple, but slowly bearing towards the closest one.

Naruto ran through the woods, leaping skillfully from tree to tree. Each step bringing him closer to his target.

He knew he was getting close when he heard a roar. The roar wasn't that of a Grimm, no, it was a distinctive sound that was nearly impossible to replicate. It was the sound of hundreds of thousands of grains of sand speeding through the air.

Naruto burst through the trees, into a small clearing, the trees having been cleaved down. The blond landed on one of the many stumps just in time to hear a phrase he had heard about but never seen the result of.

"Sand Coffin."

The blond's eyes were wide in awe as he watched no less than twenty Beowulfs meet their end from the sand that encased them slamming inwards, crushing, and cutting in the same moment.

The redhead turned slowly, a near emotionless mask gazed at the blond. While the mask could have fooled nearly anyone, Naruto could see past it clearly. "I suppose we are partners then." The redhead spoke. "I am Gaara of the Sand."

"Naruto Uzumaki." The blond replied.

Gaara turned away and nodded north. "We should head to the temple."

Naruto nodded, agreeing with the redhead. Gaara crossed his arms as the sand recalled to him, and formed a platform under his feet, making it easily large enough for two people. He raised a nonexistent eyebrow at Naruto who snorted and hopped onto the platform.

Within moments they were flying through the air, the wind throwing their clothes around and tousling their hair.

Gaara glanced at the blonde when he heard chuckling. "What?" He asked, curious as to why his partner was laughing.

"Oh, I was just thinking of how cliche this was, two people flying over a forest filled with death, the wind in their faces. Yep, we may as well quite Beacon, get married and have a family of ten." Naruto stated, his face perfectly straight and sincere.

"... I could drop you."

The fox faunas's mask broke and he burst into laughter.

Gaara snorted in mild amusement before stating. "I see the temple. I'm going to set us down outside of it, make sure our path is clear."

Naruto nodded, instantly dropping to a knee pulling out his rifle. The stock springing out of the back, a pistol grip folding down along with a trigger and trigger guard. Two plates folded inward before the trigger guard, opening a magwell while a foregrip extended nearer to the end of the weapon. On the top of the weapon, a magnifying lens folded up, allowing the blond to see through a peep sight directly in front of the end of the lens and a tiny crosshair at the end of the weapon.

Checking around them, Naruto could see many Grimm through the forest, however, since neither he nor Gaara was in a particularly foul mood, none of the Grimm were drawn to them as fiercely. Beyond that, they were moving at speeds the land-based Grimm couldn't hope to match and most of them ignored them because of this. The few that were following, Naruto decided to take out.

Lining the crosshairs onto the first of the pair was simple, considering how smooth the platform of sand flew through the air. Taking into account his own speed and the relative speed of the Grimm and adjusting accordingly, Naruto squeezed the trigger.

The first Beowulf exploded, the massive bullet tore through the creature's head, then its body, dumping enough momentum into the beast that given its lack of escape, leaped all directions of similar route resulting in its unusual death. Without delay, Naruto shifted and fired again. Before the first could register what happened to its partner, it too met the same fate.

The blond checked around them three more times as the neared and shouted. "Clear!" before Gaara landed.

Once on the ground, the sand around the red-haired youth collected into a large gourd-like bag across his back.

"Looks like we're the first." Naruto started, hearing over the chess pieces. "Nothing is without its pair."

Gaara nodded. "Not many would be able to match that speed with a partner. So what piece are you thinking of?"

"Black pawn." He responded offhandedly.

"And why is that?" A new voice asked.

The two glanced over, unsurprised to see Haku and Sasuke stepping out of a mirror of ice.

"Well. The pawn in the most versatile." Naruto replied. "It can become anything at the other end, save for a king. As a huntsman that's what I feel we should aim for, and black because it represents the darkness in the world. Sometimes to fight monsters, you need to be a monster." He then shrugged ad he took and pocketed one of the pawns. "Of course I may be overthinking this far too much and these could hold no meaning whatsoever, but I'd like to think they did."

Sasuke tilted his head. "Good enough for me I suppose." He said before snatching the other black pawn. "Sasuke Uchiha by the way." He stated, holding out his hand.

"Naruto Uzumaki." Replied clasping his hand.

"Gaara of the Sand." The red-haired man introduced after Naruto, shaking the Uchiha's hand next.

"I'm Haku." The most feminine of the bunch stated.

Naruto grinned. "Well then, shall we go?"

"I have enough sand to carry us all." Gaara stated.

Naruto snickered as a platform of sand formed again. "Somehow I doubt this test was meant to be this way."

The other three nodded and stepped onto the platform before a scream interrupted their takeoff. Naruto's head snapped towards the direction. "Change of plans."

The three nodded again, their faces showing nothing but determination.

The group of four shot off towards the origin of the scream had come from, Naruto and Sasuke on the leading edge, the blonde scanning the area ahead with his rifle and Sasuke using only his eyes.

"Who's good for close combat?!" Naruto yelled over the winds.

"I am!" Gaara, Sasuke, and Haku all called.

"Long Range?!" He yelled again.

"I am!" This time Haku's voice sounding off.

"Sasuke and I will drop in! Haku! Cover us, and Gaara, make sure nothing gets close to Haku! Any objections?!"

"None!" The three sounded off again.

"Good! We're getting close!" Naruto called. "Five hundred meters south-south-west! One two injured, one is down, the other fighting, looks to be seventeen Ursa minors and two majors! Gaara keep going at this speed! Sasuke! We jump on my mark!"

"Got it!"

Naruto nodded as they zoomed ever closer. "Ready?! Three! Two! One! Mark!"

Naruto launched himself off the side as Sasuke shot into the sky flipping backward. Naruto crashed into the ground, pumping aura into his body to protect it from most of the damage. Having landed outside of the group of Ursa he let loose a loud roar to get their attention. Almost immediately after, Sasuke landed elegantly with the two injured teens.

Naruto immediately pulled his longsword from its sheath and the Ursa charged. The first Grimm reached him as his blade came down, cleaving its arm from its shoulder, it attacked with it's other, only for it to fall as well. Without a way to defend itself, it's head soon followed.

Seeing how easily it's underling was dispatched, one of the Ursa majors attacked. It barreled towards the blond, intent on tackling him. Naruto, anticipating this dodged out of the way at the last moment and sent his sword cleaving through the monster's leg. The giant bear-like Grimm collapsed to the ground and Naruto dashed up to its head and delivered a decapitating blow.

He spun to face the rest of the hoard, pleased to note that three had collapsed with icicles in their skulls, one laying face down being bisected at the waist and the second Ursa major engaging Sasuke.

That leaving ten more, Naruto shot forward, bring his sword to bear, catching the claws of an Ursa, before exerting more of his strength, lifting the beast's arm. He suddenly shifted and leaped back as another Ursa barreled into the ground where he had just been. Seeing a third Ursa approaching, Naruto frowned and stopped greatly, as if in concentration, before two copies of him poofed into existence. Both copies charged the third Ursa, While Naruto engaged the two in front of him.

The first Ursa attacked again, a wide swing with its right paw, but with the other Ursa on it's Left, Naruto couldn't take the arm without exposing himself to an attack, at least with the level of skill he was willing to show. Instead, he rolled to his left, dodging the Ursa's blow and yanked out his pistol and fired three shots into the beasts chest, each shot tore through the beast, as well as the one behind it.

The two beasts collapsed and Naruto spun to see one of his clones get crushed by the third Ursa's paw, this created enough smoke for the second to run its blade through the Grimm's throat before it too exploded in a large poof of smoke.

He turned to see the rest of the Grimm dispatched. Looking around carefully, he made sure that there were no more of the shadowy beasts around, and lifted an arm, he waved it in large, wide strokes, then went to help Sasuke tent to the two wounded.

"What's the status?" Naruto asked, looking down at the two human males, both bleeding profusely.

"The worse one? Both legs broken, internal bleeding and multiple large lacerations will need medical attention within the hour to live. He's unconscious right now. The other broken arm, three Lacerations. Potential to bleed out if not treated within the hour." Sasuke stated as he worked on binding the worst of the wounds, Naruto joined him as soon as he finished speaking.

Gaara and Haku arrived less than a minute later, not looking up from his work he said. "Gaara, can you carry us all?"

"Yes." He answered without hesitation. "However, their fear has been drawing more Grimm. Haku took a few Nevermore on the way here."

Naruto nodded. "Expected, Sasuke will secure them while Haku and I keep the tails off our back. Objections?"

"None." The three replied, and Gaara's sand carefully lifted the two broken teens onto it.

"Let's hope these were the only injured this round." Naruto muttered as they stepped onto the platform.

Moments later the doors of the medical bay were blasted open by a wave of sand, sending the doctors and nurses into a panic as Naruto and his brothers under oath rushed two injured teens in, Haku quickly gained control of the situation and began shouting orders at the doctors and Nurses.

Soon the two teens were loaded onto carts and rolled into rooms.

After the noise died down, Naruto glanced at the ice dust user. "I didn't know you were well versed in medicines."

"My mentor had a bad habit of getting injured. It started out of necessity, and grew into a passion." He replied.

Chapter End

Well, guys, there's the second chapter. Hope you liked it.


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